Ally with Monster Side Stories and other Shenanigans
by Miki-chan13
Summary: We live in a world where death is so common, little else is few and far between. And why wouldn't it be, considering we fight buck-naked, man-eating giants with the help of bizarre creatures that can resemble humans, animals, objects and even food. But here, at least, can you see more than the constant war we must fight. Ch. 4 and 5- A choice with no regrets and Days 1 and 2
1. Side story: Welcome to the family

When Becquerel heard the news, he didn't know how to feel.

His Grisha, his partner and friend, was going to be a father and this baby would be his and Carla's first-born. They both looked so happy when they looked at her belly but all Becquerel could feel was... apprehension.

Already, five months had passed by like no time at all and Carla's belly was swelling up to accommodate the baby. They had also decided on the name of the child; if it was female, Tanya. If it was male, Eren.

He knew it wasn't right, but Becquerel couldn't help the surge of apprehension and jealousy as he saw Grisha look at Carla's belly. It was selfish of him, so utterly selfish, but the Absol couldn't help it.

**Grisha, how exactly will this work out?**

Grisha glanced up from where he was sitting at the table, examining a pale blue egg. It had been a gift from a client who didn't have enough money to pay for Grisha healing his partner; he had found it in the mountains in Wall Rose. However, it had been quite a bit of trouble getting it registered but the soldier had been a lot of help.

"Well, a human spends around nine months in the mother's womb before it comes out," Grisha explained as he gently rubbed a cold, wet rag over the shell. "During that time, the baby grows and the mother's belly expands to accommodate them-"

**I mean, what will happen when the baby is born?** Becquerel interjected. **You already told me about how female humans give birth and held their children before.**

Grisha gave a sheepish smile. "I'm afraid I'm still not sure what exactly you mean."

Becquerel's fangs gritted together angrily as he barked out, "**Will you still be my partner after that child is born?!"**

Grisha looked startled as his partner slipped back into his language, yet he understood what he was asking nonetheless. "Becquerel..."

The Absol turned away, his expression ashamed and frustrated; he can't feel like this, not toward Grisha and his family, but-!

Becquerel heard Grisha's chair scrape against the floor as the man got up and walked over to his side and knelt in front of the Pokemon before embracing him, his expression solemn and serious. "You are my most trusted friend and partner. I would never abandon, forget, or neglect you."

**But...**

"Who says I can't be with you both?"

The doctor's hand gently reached out and stroked alongside Becquerel's back, just the way that would relax the Absol. His blood-red eyes closed and he let out a sigh. _That's right; I acted this way when I found out he was going to marry Carla, didn't I...?_

He was a hypocrite; Becquerel had had children with other Pokemon before but they had all died before him, both his mates and his children. He outlived them all. He had more experience with fatherhood than Grisha and here he was, acting like a brat when his dear friend might, no, would need him...!

"I never forgot you when I married Carla and she became your friend as well, and the three of us became a true family," Grisha continued. "When our child is born and that egg hatches they'll become apart of this family as well."

His eyes opened at that, expression now calmer and solemn. **I'm sorry, Grisha. I really am.**

"I'm sorry too; I didn't realize you had these doubts and fears for so long," the doctor replied as well, his expression becoming pained. "What kind of partner am I to not understand when you're in distress? If I were to forget you..."

Becquerel said nothing to that. Pokemon that weren't with humans as partners or in the military, were considered second-class. Though they weren't animals or titans, neither were they human or perceived as such. Even though many, many humans cared for and treated Pokemon with respect and dignity, human lives were still worth more than them in most cases, save for those that call for power.

_Even so..._

* * *

"Ngh-!"

"Come on, you have to keep pushing, Carla!"

Tears trickled down Carla's face as her hands gripped the sheets bunding her palms, her legs spasming. Grisha kept his hands positioned between her legs as she followed his instructions, trying to push out the child. Becquerel set towels around her body to soak up the blood and water.

He knew what was coming as Grisha explained it to him, but nothing could have prepared Becquerel for the birthing process. The smells were making his throat constrict as he tried to swallow down bile, the screams were making his skin crawl and his fur stand up on end, and he couldn't look at Grisha now, he couldn't look at the desperation and determination on his face.

"Carla, you're doing great; keep it up!"

"I-I- _Auuggghhhh_!"

The last cry gained pitch and turned to a shout as Carla's fingernails dug through the cloth and into her skin, drawing blood. Becquerel couldn't stand it as he snapped out, **"Isn't there anything else we can do for her?!"** even though he knew Grisha couldn't understand him right now.

"Almost-! You've almost got it, Carla! You can do it!" Grisha urged her on, his voice shaking despite him trying to keep calm.

Carla suddenly let out a drawn scream as her entire body spasmed and the towels and sheets became more soaked.

Then, crying pierced the space.

The Absol's eyes widened as he saw Grisha clutch a tiny bundle inside the blanket to him, a thin strand hanging from the table by him with a slightly bloodied knife. Tears were freely streaming down his face as he looked at the child before he passed it to Carla. She looked so exhausted but so utterly relieved as she took the child and cradled it in her arms.

"It's a boy," Grisha rasped. "It's a boy."

Carla nodded, her cheeks tear-stained as she beamed at the newborn boy before turned to Becquerel. "Come see."

The Absol blinked before he approached tentatively to her bedside and stretched up to look at the bundle. The boy's eyes were squeezed shut tightly, his mouth slightly open, revealing pink gums. Sparse brown hair, the same shade as Grisha's, covered a bit of his scalp. His skin was still tender and pink and damp.

He looked back at Carla with a tentative gaze. **May I?**

She nodded kindly. "Go ahead."

The Absol leaned forward carefully and gently nudged the boy with his nose. A sweet, pure scent filled his nostrils, not unlike that from a baby Pokemon. A smile spread on his lips and Becquerel leaned in further and gently nuzzled the tiny baby but careful not to let his horn touch him. Grisha came over to them and the three of them took in the sight of the new life they had been waiting to meet for nearly a year.

_"Uh..."_

The Absol froze at the tiny noise before withdrawing. The baby seemed to be fidgeting slightly before his eyes opened up. Becquerel was frozen where he was as the most vivid and brilliant green imaginable stared back at him. The tiny boy gurgled a bit, a smile on his face.

Becquerel loved him.

**"It's nice to meet you... ****Eren."**

* * *

A short giggle came out.

Eren was gripping Becquerel's white fur in a grubby little hand from where Carla was holding him at the table as she finished nursing him. It seemed the tiny boy couldn't get enough of feeling the Absol's body parts in his hands, though Becquerel was very careful not to let Eren touch his horn of claws or anything below his tail.

"Hey come on now, Eren," Carla said, gently prying his hand off Becquerel's fur, "you'll pull out all of Bec's fur if you keep doing that."

However, as soon as Eren realized he couldn't feel the Absol's fur anymore, his lips trembled and his eyes filled with tears. Becquerel perched himself closer to the boy and gently licked his cheek. Eren blinked at him a little as the tears stopped and he let the little boy grip his fur again.

**It's okay,** Becquerel said as he saw Carla shake her head at them both.** He'll grow out of it eventually, or else I'll tell him otherwise.**

Carla chuckled at that. A moment later, the door slammed open, Grisha holding the egg in his arms. The object was shuddering and cracks were appearing across the shell like lightning.

Grisha wordlessly took his jacket off and set it on the floor before gently putting the egg on it and grabbing one of the dish towels from the counter with no time to waste. Carla and Becquerel came over by him as Grisha took out his medical supplies and laid them on the floor.

About a minute later, the egg had completely hatched and a tiny Pokemon covered in egg goo was sitting on the coat. It's body was completely black with pale blue orbs for eyes, a wide toothy mouth and an orange triangular cloak over it's figure.

Eren let out an exclamation as he reached out to the newborn Pokemon, eyes wide with wonder and his mouth in an open-mouthed, excited smile. Becquerel was also interested in the little one; he had yet to see this Pokemon before and he had already seen many.

"It's called a Snorunt," Grisha explained as he cleaned the creature off before examining it carefully, "and it's female."

The little Snorunt looked around curiously, eyes wide as she took in the very first sights of her life before her eyes settled on the three humans and Pokemon before her. Eren tried to reach out to the Snorunt again, making tiny "Eh-eh" noises as Grisha made sure she was cleaned off and warm as she would be able to stand. The doctor smiled softly as he gently took the newborn Pokemon into his arms wrapped in the coat and moved over to Carla's side so the two children could see each other properly.

The Snorunt looked at Eren as curiously as the boy looked at her. Her mouth then turned into a smile and she gave a little exclamation as she reached out to the boy as well. Becquerel couldn't keep the smile off his face, the scene was just too heartwarmingly adorable.

"Well, it looks like we have another child now," Carla said with a chuckle as Eren tried to grab the Snorunt's cloak.

Becquerel looked up at the little one. The Snorunt seemed to notice him and she peered down at the Absol with wide eyes before giving a happy babble at him.

**"Hello,"** he greeted back with a gentle smile.

**"'lo!"** she parroted back with a grin.

Eren tried to echo their replies with glee, making Carla and Grisha chuckle. A second later, the Snorunt's suddenly sneezed, icy air coming from her mouth and freezing part of Becquerel's fur, making the Absol blink incredulously.

The tiny boy laughed out loud and the Snorunt joined him before Carla and even Grisha let out a chuckle as well. Becquerel swiftly shook the frost off his fur; even he unable to keep the smile off his face.

"Little one," Carla said gently to the Snorunt, "what do you think of the name 'Tanya'?"

The Snorunt blinked before she laughed. Carla smiled. "I guess that's a 'yes'."

Tanya laughed again before Eren touched her cloak, eyes wide with delight. Grisha and Carla then both knelt down so that Becquerel could look at the two children properly. Eren's other hand reached out and grabbed Becquerel's fur once more in his fist, grinning happily. Tanya also reached out and grabbed at the Absol's cheek, an identical grin on her face.

* * *

"Bec... I can't turn into a cheese."

Eren laughed and Becquerel tried to keep from smiling at the incredulous look on Mikasa Ackerman's face. The brunet was trying to teach the newest addition to their family the poke-code that Grisha had Eren learn at an early age. However, the ravenette was having a much harder time with it than Eren did.

"He was- he was saying that he thinks that it's gonna warm tomorrow!" the brunet rasped out. "I don't even know how you got so off!"

Mikasa scowled at that, her face pink she muttered, "This is ridiculous; you can just tell me what he's saying, can't you?"

Eren shook his head at that. "You gotta learn how to understand them too, Mikasa! What if me, mom, or dad aren't around to translate Bec of Tanya for you?"

"That won't happen," Mikasa said simply, gripping at Eren's sleeve with a solemn but rigid look. "You'll always be here, always."

The brunet stopped at that before his expression softer. Becquerel and Tanya looked back at one another; it wasn't that long ago that the young girl had been taken into the Jaeger household and since then, they had all been trying to make her feel safe and welcome.

But the scars were there to stay.

"Here."

Eren took out the papers that Grisha had given him earlier and spread them out for Mikasa to see. "See? That means..."

**"She doesn't have anything to worry about,"** Tanya said in a soft voice. **"We'll always be together, all six of us, no matter what."**

**"Yeah..."**

* * *

I have a bad feeling this entire chapter might get jossed as the series continues, or it might be that Becquerel has faulty memory, but for now, you can enjoy this and many more chapters to come.

On a side not, I think Eren's eyes are my favorite color; I mean, green's been my favorite color for forever now, but the green the anime uses- damn, is it_ gorgeous_.

Length will vary for these segments.


	2. Side story: Visit the grave

The moon was shinning silver white in the night sky, not even the clouds could hide it. All was quiet in the walls, even the titans couldn't disturb it.

Two figures walked/ flew down towards a rather tall tower, erected in the town square. It had a forebodingly solemnness that draped over it. The first that was walking gently eased open the giant double doors, revealing several graves erected.

From the sparse light, the figures were revealed, if there was anybody to witness, a Dragonite and a Gallade.

**"So..."**

_"Her grave is on the third floor,"_ Mitternacht said in a low voice. _"Hers is on the fifth."_

**"Got it,"** Donovan said, before waving good-bye and heading up the stairs.

Donovan climbed up higher and higher, careful not to disturb any of the graves. It had taken him years to get some semblance of spatial awareness after his evolution and was he thankful for it now.

Finally, he got the floor that Mitternacht directed him to and his dark grey eyes roamed over the gravestones until he found the one. He flew over in front of it, his wings lessening before he remembered-

**_"ShitshitSHIT!"_** Donovan rasped as he flapped his wings up more to keep his full weight off the floor, nearly smacking his head on the ceiling as a result before going back to his original stance.

Oh, one of the many disadvantages to being over a thousand pounds in body mass/ weight; while this easily allowed him to act as the raging, badass motherfucker he was on the battlefield, it wasn't so much fun when he was constantly trying NOT to destroy floors, or walls, or other miscellaneous objects.

**"Geez, boss is kinda right about me, wasn't he?"** Donovan groused as he remembered his partner.

* * *

Mitternacht fought back a grimace as he walked up the stairs carefully. This was a terrible idea, not to mention an invasion of privacy of the worst kind. But he had to have this.

Finally, he reached the fifth floor and Mitternacht's eyes roamed over the gravestones until he found the one.

_"Hello."_

* * *

**"Uh... hey,"** Donovan muttered.

His words echoed in the space before it became silent again. The Dragonite let a nervous chuckle out. **"This is kinda weird, to me at least."**

* * *

_"This sort of thing is what humans do when they visit their deceased, isn't it?"_ Mitternacht said before giving a tiny, embarrassed smile. _"But it's just feels so odd; why would I talk to stone?"_

* * *

**"Maybe it's just a human thing? Maybe 'cause they don't wanna forget?"**

* * *

_"That could be the case."_

* * *

Donovan gave another nervous laugh before his expression grew solemn.** "Ya know, there's a reason why I'm here by myself, 'cept for 'Nacht."**

* * *

Mitternacht's expression grew saddened. _"You understand, yes? Why I couldn't ask my partner to bring me here."_

* * *

**"He doesn't talk 'bout you t' me, ever,"** Donovan said, his voice growing sadder. **"But I know he thinks 'bout ya. He could never forget 'bout ya, but he feels like he's gotta put ya to the back of his head. It's gotta hurt him, tho'; you guys were partners for way longer than I was with him."**

* * *

_"He talks of you sometimes,"_ Mitternacht said, frowning. _"He regrets it, you know. He regrets the time you two had and how he spent it with you, after 'everything you put up with', as he described it. I feel ashamed that I've been his partner longer than you."_

* * *

**"I dunno if I should be jealous of the bond you two had before I came 'long,"** the Dragonite went on. **"I know that he has some kinda value fer me, but he's never gonna open up to me the same way he was open to you."**

* * *

_"It's unfair, I think, that the two of you never opened up to one another,"_ the Gallade continued. _"You were his very first partner and even if you weren't compatible, that didn't mean you couldn't try to get along, right?"_

* * *

**"Then, I start wondering' where I'd be if you hadn't died."**

* * *

_"But what would have happened if you hadn't died?"_

* * *

**"I wouldn't be his partner, I wouldn't have even met boss; I'd still be grievin' my own partner's death and makin' life hard for everyone else. Y'know, th' Beast Trainers talked 'bout puttin' me down before; they never had t' do that to a Pokemon b'fore."**

* * *

_"I would never have gone with him, I would have left him to be with you; I'd be all alone, still struggling to survive, still wishing to die. It was nice to think about just dying before. I was ready for it as well, but too afraid to do it myself."_

* * *

**"I'm really happy, ya know?"**

Tears were starting to mist over Donovan's eyes as he said this. **"I love boss, like, A LOT, and I wanna be able to be with him. But that's only 'cause you're gone."**

* * *

_"It was my fault, really."_

Mitternacht's hand clenched at his heart, right by the red horn in his chest. _"Maybe if I hadn't existed, you two would have a stronger bond, one that extended outside of the heat of the battlefield. But I can't help feeling happy because you're gone, that I know him."_

* * *

**"I feel so weak sometimes, ev'n tho' I've got this much power, I can't do anythin'."**

* * *

_"Am I evil for wanting this, for being content with this life at your expense?"_

* * *

**"But..."**

* * *

_"Even so..."_

* * *

The tears wouldn't fall and a smile was on Donovan's face. **"If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead."**

* * *

Mitternacht's hand fell to his side, his head held up. _"If it wasn't for you, I would be all alone."_

* * *

Donovan gently set his paw on the gravestone as carefully as possible.** "So... thanks. Thanks for being' there for him."**

* * *

Mitternacht knelt before the gravestone with the utmost respect._ "Thank you. Thank you for saving him."_

* * *

This stuff writes itself sometimes, I'm not even kidding.

Length will vary.


	3. Before the Fall: Titan's child

_In the year 845, humanity lost a third of their territory, along with the land they had taken back from the titans. However, this was not the first time that titans had made into humanity's land. However, those who survived were strictly gagged and it left no imprint on the Government's records._

_But this does not change the fact that this happened._

* * *

"Our request is simple; open the gates!"

A group of people in ornate robes stood before the gates of the Zhiganshina, their way blocked by Survey Corps members. They long green cloaks, white pants and shirt, tan jacket, black boots and fingerless gloves with blades at their hips, though they had yet to draw them forth.

A few bizarre creatures stood by their side, though many were without. They wore tan shawls and green scarfs around their necks, as stationary as their masters. The only ones who could afford to have such partners were those of influence or connections; when humanity had crossed the sea to escape the titans, they could only bring a few Pokemon with them.

"What is that group...?" a young man with spiky black hair and brown eyes wondered.

"I recognize those robes," another young man with a mop of blond hair and dark green eyes said with a grimace, the Mightyena at his heel growling at the people before them. "They belong to a group of titan-worshipers; I thought it was only a rumour, but..."

That was when the blond noticed his companion looking shocked. "Solm, what's wrong?"

"Carlo, at the head of them-!"

Calro followed his eyes to see a woman with black hair light blue eyes and a mole beneath the right part of her lip before her chin at the head of the group. "No way-! Lady Elena?!"

* * *

_A black speck appeared in the sky, stark against the blue sky and white clouds. Down it descended, a blur of blood in it's wake before splattering against the stone of the ground._

_Soldiers who wore long green cloaks with the emblem of the Survey Corps stared in surprise at the object. "A... human head?"_

_"H- HEATH!"_

_The scream ripped from Elena's mouth before she threw herself at the head, sobbing as she cradled the flesh in her arms. The soldiers could only watch as the wife of their deceased commander continued to wail._

* * *

"Lady Elena, what are you doing with these people?!" Solm cried out as he ran to her. "You-"

That's when he took her expression in fully; there was something wrong with her eyes, with her posture; it was as if Elena wasn't even aware of her actions, as if she was _unconscious._

"Hey, that woman, isn't she the widow of Captain Munsell of the Survey Corps?" One of the soldiers wondered.

"Wait, you mean Heath Munsell, whose head got thrown up over the wall?" another exclaimed.

"It's too cruel, for his wife to be consorting with those people, who worship the monsters who keep us trapped in these walls!" a third grimaced.

"Open the gate!" Elena called out, her arms held out wide. "Let us out!"

The others behind and with her took up the cry, their voices echoing in the space loudly, repeating, "Open the gate!" over and over again.

"Lady Elena, stop it!" Solm cried out, gripping the woman by her arms. "This has gone too far- for the wife of a captain to even consider worshipping titans-!"

But Elena was deaf to his cries as she continued to shout, "Open the gate!"

"Solm."

Carlo gripped his friend's shoulder and pulled him away from Elena. "But-!"

"They revel in preying on emotion weakness," the blond said with a scowl. "This is the perfect way to bring those associated with the Survey Corps under their wing."

"You mean that that's tied in with this uprising?!" Solm exclaimed before he scowled too. "We wouldn't even need to enter the fray; the Garrison would have been enough to subdue them. Except..."

Carlo and Solm looked up to the top of one of the nearby houses. Three cloaked figures held a shaking man at the edge of a halberd.

"I see, so that's how they got this far in the first place; they captured that idiot official from the royal government!" Solm realized. "I heard that he came here for some kind of reception; guess that was just a trap."

Carlo grimaced as he examined the man's fat torso and fine clothing. "Just look at him; clearly, he's lived quite a refined lifestyle, unlike the civilians and soldiers here in Zhiganshina."

Just then, the two young men heard a loud clanging of a bell, specifically the Liberty Bell, sounding out from above.

"Give us true freedom!" Elena screamed. "TRUE FREEDOM!"

At that, one of the cloaked figures swung the halberd and sliced off the official's head in one clean stroke. However, there was another noise that commanded their attention. They turned around as stone grated against stone and the gate opened up.

Then... they heard footsteps echo, before giant fingers gripped the gateway. A face came into view, giant and deformed, it's mouth split in a toothy grin with the flesh on it's face and body sagging hideously.

Unbridled panic lit the city up like a forest fire, as people screamed and ran for their lives. One unlucky man tripped and the titan's hand closed around his waist and brought him to it's giant mouth, it's yellowed, rotten teeth gleaming dully. It shoved the poor man into it's mouth as he screamed and begged for mercy before it's teeth snapped down on his skull, ending his terror.

The titan continued to move forward, grabbing anyone within reach, sometimes full handfuls of screaming men women and children alike, and devoured them with relish. It's feet smashed down on the ground, crushing anyone near enough to it that it didn't eat.

The bells tolled out chaotically, but it failed to drown out the screams of terror and pain that echoed about.

* * *

Solm and Carlo struggled to catch their breaths, exhausted and wounded from trying to fight. The Mightyena was holding up a bit better, but her power was becoming depleted the more she fought as well.

"Is this... hell?" the blond wondered as they beheld the destruction and blood before them both.

Just then, the brunet backed away from his comrade and Pokemon. "Titans-!"

The blond looked back at him with a grimace. "Solm..."

Solm didn't reply, his expression that of fear as sweat trickled down his face. The blond's grimace deepened as he felt his own sweat trickle down his eyelid. _Even for those of the Survey Corps, even with these creatures with us, would succumb to this horror..._

He gripped at his head as he sank to his knees in despair. After thirty years, the enemy has carved itself into humanity's consciousness once again...

The titan had cornered several people against a cluster of houses, leisurely reaching out to anyone within reach. A screaming boy reached out to anyone to save him before the titan's teeth clamped down in a gleeful smile, it's fingers and chest stained in blood.

* * *

_The memories of humanity's natural enemy, which had faded a mere thirty years ago, carved itself once more into humanity's consciousness, when they had no means of fighting back, save for the mysterious creatures that had been brought from across the sea with them..._

* * *

"We... we did it."

The titan's massive corpse smoked on the ground. Carlo and Solm didn't know who landed the punishing blow that finally ended the titan's life, but it was finally dead. But their victory was costly; so many soldiers alike laid around it's corpse, the humans missing their heads or limbs or their bodies little more than hunks of flesh that had been crushed or thrown aside.

Not once did the titan try to attack the Pokemon, but focused its attention on the humans. The only reason Pokemon laid dead at all was because they had tried to protect their masters. Carlo grimaced as he saw the life fade from a Staravia before it's head thumped onto the stone.

The only reason that they had even been able to kill the titan was because after it had taken its sweet time killing and eating and destroying, the titan stopped near one of the wider roads and started to cough up what it had eaten. A few braver Survey Corps members had hacked away at it's shins, cutting apart the veins and achilles tendons before the rest of the soldiers and their few Pokemon more or less swarmed over it, hacking, chopping, slashing, biting, and ripping apart anywhere they could reach before the titan noticed them.

Now, along with the corpses of the deceased, be they soldier or civilian, along with the titan's own massive corpse, were being burned before the two young men and their Pokemon. Humans knew so little of titans, but they absolutely couldn't deny the possibility of the foul monsters carrying diseases on them.

That being said, the families of the unfortunates that the titan had devoured would never have true closure or even be given the luxury of seeing their bodies, as they would soon be burned.

Solm and Carlo watched as their bodies went up in smoke, disgust and anguish alike clawing at them. The corpses' features warped in deformity and terror as the flames licked at their skin.

"They were just spat back out again without being digested," Carlo said in a low voice as Solm looked away from their faces. "They're not even allowed peace after death..."

The Mightyena looked at her master with a solemn expression before gently laying her head on his knee in a comforting gesture. Carlo looked at her with a grimace before his own expression softened and he scratched behind her ears in thanks.

Solm's eyes lit with anger before he got up and kicked angrily at what was left of the titan's body, shouting, _"Don't eat them if all you're gonna do it cough 'em back up again!"_

He collapsed on one knee a moment later, his gloved-hand gripping at his mouth before the raven-haired man's stomach won out and he started retching. After a few minutes, he was done and the Mightyena had already drapped her own shawl over the sick.

"I can't understand how titans behave at all!" Solm rasped, the bitterness of the vomit still in his mouth.

Carlo grimaced as he said, "I don't think I even want to understand. But it's a given fact that titans are humanity's natural enemy, right?"

He looked back at the corpses as the fire had yet to reach them. "Their equipment and clothing are intact, but without a hint of digestion, and there's not taste since they get vomited back up, don't they?"

The blond waited for his friend's response, but there was silence. He glanced up to see Solm's eyes wide and locked on the pile. Carlo followed his line of sight before his eyes widened as well.

"Lady Elena!"

Indeed, the woman from before that had been devoured along with the titan-worshipers. She had been swallowed whole, save for the area before her thighs when the titan had first gotten in, her face still frozen in the smile that was on her face as she greeted with titan with open arms. Grief crossed both young men's faces as they gazed at the woman.

Elena had just married Captain Munsell about two years ago, and she had been expecting their first child. Now, husband, wife and child had all perished at the hands of humanity's enemy. The worst and most tragic ending possible for anyone.

"Contact the Garrison," Carlo told Solm. "We need to clear away this area when-"

Just then, the Mightyena's hackles raised and she turned to face the pile, a low growl in her throat. Carlo looked down at her in bewilderment before following her line of sight. Then, against any and all conceivable logic, Elena's belly _shifted._

The Mightyena immediately stood between her master and Solm and the pile, growling lowly while the two young men stared in disbelief.

"No way-!" Solm gasped. "Could she still be alive-?!"

"No-!"

A disturbing and horrifying idea was in both young men's heads now; when Elena had been eaten, the titan's mouth had clamped down on her legs below her belly before they had snapped down, effectively swallowing her whole. But the titan hadn't eaten anyone else like her, their bodies in tatters with Elena's being the only who's body, albeit deformed, was the most intact.

"Don't tell me this is how they reproduce!"

"That's not-"

"How can you be sure of that, Carlo?!" the raven-haired young man cried out to his friend. "We know nothing of titans, let alone their reproductivity methods!"

Carlo grimaced at that. Was Solm right? Did titans really spawn from the remains of those they had eaten? If they were to go by that logic, then titans were basically the same as humans, but that wasn't what Carlos focused on.

_I can't allowed this nightmare to take place again, no matter what!_

With that, Carlo drew forth his sword and ran to the pile. The blade slashed down and sliced open her bell before a wet splat echoed in the space. Beneath her legs, a tiny infant, a boy with dark copper hair, lay in the blood and water, oblivious to the dead around him, or the fear because of him.

"The baby...!" Solm whispered, his eyes wide. "Don't tell me it had been alive all of this time inside her belly even after being swallowed-!"

The two men looked at the baby with wide and apprehensive expressions; for why had this one baby survived when everyone else that the titan had devoured been killed?

"Titan's child..."

* * *

Length will vary.


	4. A Choice with No Regrets: Freedom Wings

Ruby red eyes looked up. The titans were coming closer with every step. There would be no backup coming for her, no last-minute rescue; there would be no one to witness her final moments, not even her precious, precious, partner.

Her pale green, slender arms branched out as if welcoming the titans into her embrace before psychic energy crackled around her. Then, blue became black and violet electricity shuddered around her figure.

A serene smile graced her lips.

* * *

_In the year 844..._

* * *

An old man with stringy white hair and beard was seated in a plush armchair, alternating between turning the pages he was reading slowly and leisurely sipping a cup of tea. The drapes were drawn against the window, though it did nothing to hide the dark blue, almost jet black sky of the late night.

Just then, a knock came on the door. "Enter," the old man stated.

Witht that, a man wearing a hood came into the room and crossed over to the old man before bowing before him. The old man didn't even look up from his book as he said, "Speak."

"They have agreed to our terms, my lord," the hooded man reported.

"I see."

There was silence between the two men for a few minutes, with the only sound being that of pages being flipped and the flames in the fireplace crackling lowly. The hooded man's eyes gleamed with mirth as he said, "I could see the plan in one of their eyes; they'll use the 'documents' to threaten us into submission."

The hooded man gave a chuckle. "Short-sighted fools. They can't see what lies beyond their own pride. Those are thugs for you."

"Indeed," the old man agreed. "Soon, we'll be rid of Smith, along with those three insects, in one fell swoop. I assume that you've set the fail-safe into place then?"

"I have, my lord."

The old man smirked.

* * *

_"Ashford Vantas."_

_The young, lanky, dark-skinned man swallowed back the lump in his throat, focusing, by his side was a tiny yellow Pokemon with pink petals on it's head and armless torso. Darius Zackly and Nathaniel "Nate" Crimms stood in front of him, while the entirety of the party attendees and soldiers watched from behind. In the latter's hands was a box with a pale bronze bolo tie with a dull yellow stone set in the metal._

_"As of this day, you will be in command of the Beast Trainers," Darius Zackly said in a loud, grave tone._

_Nathaniel stepped forward and presented the tie to Ash. His hands shook slightly as he tied it around his neck before turning to face the crowd. His hazel eyes locked on no one in particular as they clapped politely._

* * *

"Hey come on now..."

The Bonsley fussed again as she tried to dodge the needle and syringe again. Ash sighed before he said, "Come on; this'll keep you from getting sick. Do you really want to be stuck in bed for days on end because you wouldn't let me give you a vaccine? Alraune, please calm her down."

The little rock-type grimaced as she looked at the needle with apprehension before the Cherrim let out a soft, sweet scent from his flower. It made her eyes start to droop and she began to feel a little sleepy before she felt a sharp pain in her side as Ash injected the medicine into her system.

"Now, was that so bad?" Ash said with a little smile.

The Bonsley responded with a swift headbutt.

"Yup, I figured you'd react like that," Ash chuckled, nursing the bruise on his forehead before turning back to the soldiers standing to attention. "Okay; take this little one back now!"

"Yes sir."

Ash watched the three of them leave before he gave a sigh and stretched his arms. His military jacket had been left in his office to avoid getting dirty, showcasing his lanky black turtleneck tanktop torso and wiry arms, including the long, thin scars on his left arm, and hands clad in fingerless black gloves. The Cherrim by his side was in his overcast form, as it was rather cloudy at the moment and he wore the shawl given to Pokemon, only it was with with a yellow hem and higher collar to show his rank.

"Here you are."

Ash looked up to see Andreas running up to him, his shirt rolled up and his jacket tied around his waist, as most soldiers in the Beast Trainers would do during work. Charlie wasn't with him at the moment, which worried the young man. "Am I needed somewhere else?"

"Not this second," Andreas answered with a grin. "I just came over to congratulate you; it's not every day you become a commander!"

At this, his expression became more serious. "The point is, you don't have to come onto the field as often, not when you'll be having more work to do at the desk."

But Ash simply shook his head. "I know that, and so did the other commanders before. But that never stopped them from giving help out here. Besides, we never have enough hands so it's the least I can do. Even Commander C-, I mean, Nathaniel, came out here before; we both know that."

"That's true, but I've been around long enough to see that if you keep going at the pace of work you're going at, you'll kill yourself. Over-exertion and exhaustion, and even skipping meals will follow; that's the most common death for the Beast Trainer commanders to face if they do die."

"... I guess you have a point; I don't suppose you could help me with managing my time properly? I'm terrible at things like that."

That's when Andreas saw how Ash's frame trembled, how wide his eyes were and how fake the smile on his lips were.

"I mean- people are going to be depending on me to see to it that their partners are in the best shape possible, so if they do bad, then it'll reflect on all for our efforts. But... who in their right mind would put me in charge of all of this? I'm no leader of men or a scholar; all I've got going for me is how I understand Pokemon and even then, it's not much-"

At that, Andreas gripped Ash's shoulder firmly, effectively cutting his tirade off. "You're underestimate your worth, Ash. Nathaniel wouldn't have chosen you for this if he didn't think you couldn't handle the title and it's responsibilities. He could have chosen anyone. Hell, he even could have chosen me when I've been here for over two decades. But he chose someone who was nearly thrown out because of a game-breaking injury. If that doesn't give testament to your skills and worth, I don't know what does."

Ash's hand clenched at the scars on his left arm, a half-grimace formed on his face at the memories. "I suppose so..."

"Come on," Andreas said good-naturedly as he rose back on his feet. "We can start right now; I've just finished up my own training a while ago."

The young commander couldn't help smiling at his now-subordinate's cheer. "Thank you, Andreas-er, Officer Brock. I promise; I'll be a commander you can be proud serving under."

"I already am, boss!"

* * *

_After the titans appeared more than a century ago, humanity surrounded itself and its' territory with three different walls; Maria, Rose and Sina. Within the inner most walls of Sina, lay the capital- the center of economy, government for all of humanity. Elegant palaces lined the outskirts and all who lived there were guaranteed a prosperous life._

_However, even in the glamourous capital- or rather, because of its' prosperity, there lies within, a dark and twisted underbelly. Beneath the towns that surrounded the capital, was a vast underground living space._

_The Underground City._

_According to ancient documents, it had been briefly proposed that humans would move underground to escape the titans. But in the end, immigration was halted and its' ruins became a lair for the criminal and destitute. Even the monarchy turned its' back on the area and slums soon formed. Even the idea of the military entering the area was frowned upon._

* * *

"Are you sure that this is the right place?"

Erwin Smith looked over at the soldier to his left, Mike Zacharias. The two of them, along with two more soldiers under the latter's command, were going down deep beneath the streets of Wall Sina. What was unusual about their company was that while they were geared up for battle, their Pokemon partners were absent. This was intentional.

"Yes, I'm certain," the blond soldier answered his friend. "Those three will be down there."

"Those three", being a group of thugs that had been giving the Military Police trouble for quite a few years now. The Military Police were considered the best of the best along with their partners and for three thugs to avoid them even with the aid of their partners, despite the fact that none of them had any Pokemon of their own and were using gear that had been scheduled to have been thrown away when they were stolen, was a bad blow to their pride.

While Erwin knew for a fact that many of the crimes that the three had allegedly committed were fabricated, he still wanted to catch them himself. He still remembered that day, when Nile Dawk had requested him to assist them. He and Mike had gone down themselves to try to find these three.

He ended up witnessing one of their skills as one of their members, a tiny but muscled man with jet black hair, use the 3D maneuvering gear with inhuman grace and efficiency to knock out another thug who had insulted him. When he had shot away with the other two members, Erwin had caught his gaze. Dark silver looked back into sky-blue and Erwin had never wanted something so badly as for that man to join their ranks.

He had gotten information on the three from records. One Isabel Magnolia and Farlen Church were members of the gang, but the last one remained unknown with no name or records of his birth, and Erwin was willing to bet anything that the unknown third member of the gang was the man he saw before.

"You all know the plan, correct?" Erwin addressed them.

"Yes sir," the two soldiers confirmed while Mike nodded.

Erwin knew that they were weary of being down there and going into a potential battle without their partners by their sides, but he was doing this to make a statement; both human and Pokemon in the Survey Corps were fighters. If they went in with their partners, they'd just make them believe that they couldn't accomplish anything without them.

His eyes flickered over to his immediate right before remembering. This didn't escape Mike's attention and he gave his friend a concerned look. "Erwin..."

"It's fine," the blond dissuaded, shaking his head and his expression becoming serious. _"Let's go!"_

* * *

Three figures shot by swiftly across the air, mere shadows streaking the otherwise dark area of the Underground city. Their company consisted of two men and one woman. The first male had messy, pale grey hair and hazel eyes. The woman had vivid red hair tied into two pigtails and turquoise blue eyes. The second male was much shorter than either of his companions with black hair and the back shaved, and dark silver eyes.

"There's about four people behind us," Farlen Church told his two friends. "It's impressive that they're still up on duty at this hour, but they don't have any Pokemon with them at the moment."

"Cheh; those Military Police lot sure are stubborn, not to mention arrogant. I'll give 'em that," Isabel Magnolia smirked. "They think they can catch us without their 'precious partners'?"

She paused for a brief moment before looking back at her raven-haired companion. "Hey Levi! Wasn't what I just said cool-sounding?!"

Levi Ackerman turned back to the red-head with a flat look as he asked, "Are you a moron?" before saying, "Either way, we can't lead them back to the hideout; it'll be a pain in the ass but..."

At that, he turned back to his two companions. "Farlen."

"Yeah."

"Isabel."

"Yeah!"

_"Let's go!"_

With that, the three shot down into the streets of the Underground City. They fired off the grappling hooks of their 3D maneuvering gear into the stone structures around them and flew through the city, barely missing the people walking about while other ducked to avoid them. They were like birds in speed, and bats in maneuverability.

"Yahoo!" Isabel whooped before vaulting over a man while yelling, "Make way, make way!"

Levi shot between another man and cart, making him crash it and himself into the stone street. _"You damned thugs!"_ the man bellowed after them, shaking his fist.

"Guys, be more careful, will you?" Farlen said, sweat dropping as they cleared the street. "Or at least don't give people unnecessary heart attacks."

Isabel stuck her tongue out at the blond while Levi's expression never changed. Farlen's grimace deepened as he said, "They're still following us and it looks like they're closing in."

As he finished his sentence, Levi saw four figures shooting towards them.

"They're doing pretty well this time around, for Military Police standards," Isabel snorted. "What, are they serious about trying to bring us down this time?"

Farlen and Levi exchanged glances at that, dark silver into hazel. There was definitely something off about the soldiers chasing them; they were more skilled than the Military Police that they ran into. If Farlen had been correct, and if that man's words were true...

"Those guys might not belong to the Military Police," Levi said in a low voice before maneuvering himself back around to a jutting, rotting stone pillar. "I'll check. Loop around that pillar over there."

With that, the three of them shot up towards the stone and Levi fired one of the grappling hookings into the pillar before the mechanism attached to the wire retracted, swinging the raven-haired man around in a 180° turn. This was an extremely difficult move for anyone and would have easily resulted in the user smashing themselves into the ground, but not Levi. Never Levi.

As he came around, the four soldiers from before finally came into view, copying the turn he made before like a mirror.

Isabel whistled, "Huh, not too shabby!" before noticing that Levi had returned. "Er, I mean-"

But Levi didn't reprimand her but his expression became a bit more serious as he said, "That's the Survey Corps for you."

"Levi, are you sure?" Farlen asked, hoping against hope that this was the one time he was wrong.

"Yeah," Levi affirmed. "I saw their crest."

The white and blue wings interlocking and framed in silver flashed before his eyes. "That was definitely 'the wings of freedom'."

"So they're the ones who actually fight the titan outside the walls, right?" Isabel said as she looked back. "I guess the guys who're actually trained to deal with this kinda stuff are different from the MPs, huh? Wonder if that Erwin guy is with 'em."

"Levi-" Farlen began.

"I've no intention of getting involved with them," Levi stated, as he stole another glance behind him.

The man he had seen a few weeks before, the Survey Corps soldier who had seen him use the gear, was one of the four chasing him. "But now that it's come this, they won't be easy to shake off," he finished, remembering the look on the blond's face, the look of someone who had found exactly what they had been searching for for so long and was determined to seize it.

"I won't lose!" Isabel grinned, regaining her composure. "I'll make every damn one of 'em cry!"

"Shit..." Farlen grimaced worriedly, "Even so, this is getting to be a real mess. If we really do end up getting caught, then they'll definitely confiscate our gear. Even if we haven't done anything, this could get troublesome."

The gear they had had been stolen from the Military Police on the day it was supposed to be thrown out. Farlen had managed to fix the gears so they could be usable and with his other gang members, Levi and Isabel they had been able to supply themselves with gas, sheaths, propellant and swords. It had given them an advantage over the other thugs of the Underground, not to mention a weapon against the irate Pokemon that dwelled beneath.

"So long as we avoid capture, it'll be fine," Levi said before looking back at his two friends. "You guys know what to do, right?"

"Yep!"

"Sure, whatever..."

With that, the three of them split up. As Levi went in his direction, he noticed that two soldiers were following after him, one of them the blond. He remembered the deal that the hooded man who visited them before had offered.

* * *

_It had happened during the night. Someone had knocked on the door to their hideout. __After a brief skirmish, Farlen had managed to keep Levi from slitting the hooded man's throat and asked him why he had come to them on the first place._

_"I'm a messenger from a certain individual; allow me to get straight to the point," the hooded man explained. "Captain Erwin Smith plans on capturing the three of you and making you join the Survey Corps. Once you've been admitted, I want you to steal documents pertaining to my client. If possible and encouraged, I'd prefer if you would eliminate him as well."_

_Levi, Isabel and Farlen looked at the man for a few moments before the ravenet snorted, "Has your biological clock gone haywire or something? You expect us to believe that a full-fledged member of society came down to recruit the scum of the Underground; what kind of dumbasses do you take us for?"_

_"The reward is money, as well as a place to live in the Capitol," the hooded man said._

_Now it was beginning to get even more shady; so they not only decided to contact thugs for such a job, but even offer them such a reward. "I'll pretend that I never saw your face," Levi addressed the hooded man. "Now hurry up and go back to the surface-"_

_"Wait, Levi."_

_Farlen had cut him off and the two's eyes met. The ravenet could already see the gears in Farlen's brain turning as he said to the man, "I got the gist of it, but your offer is rather sudden and there's no way we could give you an answer right on the spot; you can understand that, can't you? We'll give your offer some thought, all right?"_

_The hooded man remained silent for a few moments before giving a nod. "You have until tomorrow morning to give me your answer. No one is to hear a word of this conversation, or your friends will be the ones who ultimately suffer."_

_Farlen nodded as he offered his hand to the hooded man. "Of course."_

_The hooded man looked at the hand for a few moments before giving it a quick brush and leaving. Levi scowled at the gesture and when the hooded man's footsteps died away, he turned back to the grey-haired male. "Hey-"_

_However, his reply was cut away as Farlen winced and his eyes shut tightly. Isabel and Levi rose up in alarm as their friend clutched at his head, taking in a sharp breath before he became still as a stone._

_"Farlen, are you...?" Isabel asked, her tone worried._

_"Nicholas Lobov."_

_Levi blinked. "Who's that?"_

_Farlen straightened himself up and shook his head slightly before explaining, "That's the name of his client; Nicholas Lobov. It seems that that man's client is quite influential on the surface."_

_"Farlen, you're not actually thinking of accepting, are you?!" Isabel exclaimed._

_"Aside from the gold being offered, is a place to live in the Capitol; the only ones who could afford to offer us lives we could never imagine would be a noble or a big-name merchant, with Lobov being the former. He could easily give us both of those things if we succeed and more."_

_Levi could see his friend's point and he said, "Even if we do manage to get these documents, this Lobov definitely come after us next; you can't seriously think that they'll just let us reap such a reward and let us be?"_

_"That's why we'll target him first," Farlen said, his expression becoming confident, "and use the documents to threaten him into submission."_

_"Really," Levi deadpanned. "A bunch of lower class thugs from the Underground are going to threaten that surface-dwelling pig?"_

_"It's our best possible chance," Farlen replied. "Besides... don't you want to get out of the Underground, out of this dump?"_

* * *

But like hell he was going to let himself get captured.

_All right; let's see what the Survey Corps can do._

With that, Levi shot through the city with practiced ease. With the narrow streets, winding alleyways with garbage and clothes lines, this was a nightmare for anyone with the 3D maneuvering gear. One wrong move and its' user could end up dead. But not Levi. He navigated through all of the obstacles that the Underground had to offer before and he replicated those feats once more.

One of the hooks embedded itself in the wood on a wall in an alley and Levi swing him up backwards and looked in the opposite direction from where he was in the air, upside down but perfectly in control of his movements as this was something he had done several times before. The two soldiers were nowhere in sight.

"I must have taken them too seriously," Levi said to himself as he landed. "I just hope those two haven't fucked up or anything-"

That was when Levi heard a creak behind him followed by a loud yell. Then, one of the soldiers smashed through the rotting planks on the side of the house and full-on tackled the raven-haired man. Of all the moves that he had been expected, such a forward attack hadn't been one of them. It benefited them, the soldiers who had been tempered by battle.

But he didn't let it catch him off guard any more than it did a second ago. Using the soldier's own momentum against him, Levi threw him off.

_There should be another,_ Levi thought as he quickly activated the gear and shot up in the direction where the soldier had attacked him. _Are they hiding or-_

On instinct, Levi looked up, expecting to see the soldier coming at him, but saw nothing. As Levi realized his mistake, he saw the other soldier shoot up from the darkness with his blades drawn. The one second Levi had been caught off guard, where he had stopped moving, was enough for the blond soldier to slice apart the wires that Levi had fired and send the raven-haired man smashing against the wall back first, hitting his head hard enough against the stone to draw blood.

He would have landed head first onto the ground but the blond soldier grabbed him by his forearm and held him tightly, stopping his descent. Levi tried to kick back at him only for the stubbled soldier to deliver a sharp kick at his shins. The force behind the blow was enough to send Levi's legs into agony as he fell to his knees before the blond solder grabbed his other arm and clamped a set of manacles onto his wrists.

About a minute later, the other soldiers returned with Isabel and Farlen, their hands restrained by manacles as well. When the red-haired woman saw Levi, she kicked out at her captor angrily, barely avoiding his crotch. _"You leave my big bro alone, you bastards!"_

"Isabel, shut up," Farlen dead-panned, the only one out of his group truly recognizing that they had lost.

The stubbled soldier yanked Levi up and dragged him over while the other two soldiers dropped Isabel and Farlen onto their knees before stripping them of the 3D maneuvering gear. The blond soldier faced them.

"Your skills with the gear are remarkable," he said. "Where did you find these gears and how did you learn how to maneuver like that?"

Farlen averted his eyes, Isabel looked back defiantly and Levi's expression was shadowed. The blond soldier walked before Levi and said, "You're the leader of this group, right? Have you have any formal training before?"

Levi raised his head to give the blond soldier a look that showed only the flattest expression of disdain, and that was putting it mildly.

"That look says you're planning on the best possible way to kill me and escape with those two," the blond soldier remarked. "I didn't want to have to be rough, but..."

He gazed at the stubbled soldier and he nodded back. A second later, the stubbled soldier grabbed a fistful of Levi's hair and smashed his head and face into the pool of stagnant sewer water before the three thugs. Isabels' eyes widened in shock and Farlen grimaced.

"I'll ask again," the blond soldier said as Levi struggled to lift his face out of the water, "where did you get this gear?"

Levi still remained silent but glared at the blond soldier for all that he was worth.

"No one taught us how to use it!" Isabel yelled at him angrily. "We learned all by ourselves! Quit lording yourself over us when you're just a public servant!"

"You'll forgive me if I'm skeptical of such a claim."

"We did whatever necessary to survive down in this dump," Farlen retorted with a flat and stern look, "though I don't expect someone who's never had to resort to drinking sewer water to survive would understand."

"Perhaps, but that's not what we're discussing right now," the blond soldier replied back.

The stubbled soldier yanked Levi back out of the puddle, the smaller man gasping for air as he had tried to keep from inhaling the water into his nose and mouth.

"What's your name?" the blond soldier asked. "Mine is Erwin Smith."

Levi glared at the blond- Erwin Smith, apparently- with the same glare from before. Smith looked back at the stubbled soldier and Levi's face was smashed right back into the puddle so suddenly he actually inhaled some through his nose and mouth, the taste nearly making him gag as the beginnings of bile shuddered in his throat.

"You son-of-a-bitch, leave him alone!" Isabel shouted angrily, trying futilely to get free and do something other than sitting around.

Farlen quickly caught her gaze as she tried to get free again and shook his head. Isabel stared at her friend incredulously before her teeth gritted together in frustrated helplessness. Levi was being treated like dirt right in front of her, her precious big brother, and there wasn't a thing she could do!

"If you don't answer," Smith said as the stubbled soldier yanked Levi's face out of the water again, "shall I turn to your comrades then?"

At that, the two soldiers who had captured Farlen and Isabel set their blades to their necks. Levi's eyes widened at his friends' plight before he glared at the blond with murderous loathing, the taste of the sewer water in his mouth turning to ash. _"You bastard-!"_

_"What is your name?"_ Smith asked once more, with the same intensity.

They held each others' gaze for nearly a minute, neither willing to back down. However, with the knowledge that his friends were being held at sword point a little more than a meter away from him-

_"... it's Levi," _he finally relented through gritted teeth.

"Levi," Smith repeated, going before the thug and knelt down before him in the sewer water so they could see eye to eye and asked, "Will you make a deal with me?"

Levi was taken back for a second at the gesture; he had expected gloating, not the guy getting down on his knees in front of him. "A deal...?"

"You won't be charged for any previous crimes you've committed, and in return for this, you will join the Survey Corps."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you'll be handed over to the Military Police. Considering the crimes they have your group pegged for, I wouldn't consider it wise to turn down my offer, unless you prefer execution or a lifetime of working in the fields," Smith stated, his cold expression never wavering.

Levi had never felt so furious in his life, not even when he had been subject to _his_ whims. The indignant wrath had actually closed off his throat, he couldn't think of anything derogatory enough to snarl at the man, standing there like some well-groomed rich bastard, pushing him into the ground and looking at him like he was lower than an insect-!

_How dare you insult and humiliate me like this. __How dare you threaten the lives of my friends._

In that time, Levi knew exactly what his choice would be and he squared his gaze and answered, "I'll do it; I'll join the Survey Corps."

_And I'll show you just what kind of fate awaits you in the end... Erwin Smith._

* * *

So it begins. I really enjoyed writing this chapter.


	5. Shenannigans: Days 1 and 2

_The Trainee Corps. This is where the boys, girls and Pokemon who volunteered to protect humanity and halt the titans' advancement train. It's rather like a school._

* * *

_Day 1..._

* * *

Eren raced out of the barracks, a baguette stuffed into his mouth, alternating between breathing through his nose and chewing the bread.

"I'm late, I'm late!" the chibi-brunet exclaimed as he ripped a piece of bread and chewed it frantically. "If I'm late to the first day of training, how can I defeat the titans like this?!"

At that, tears beaded his eyes, causing the chibi-brunet to stop from sheer mordifiment. If someone were to see him in such a state-!

"Wipe, wipe," he muttered as he rubbed the tears away with his sleeve before noticing a gap in the fence that seperated him from the building.

"Looks like I can use that as a shortcut!" Eren grinned.

He shimmied through the hole cheerfully, nearly through when his progress was halted. He tried to move forward again, only to be jerked back. On closer inspection, the chibi-brunet was horrified to see that his belt had been caught in the fence.

_"Fuck my liiiiiiiife!"_ he wailed.

* * *

Meanwhile, the other chibi-cadets were gathered along with their chibi-Pokemon, waiting for the class to start. Mikasa and Armin were seated near the front of the class along with Becquerel, Rillo and Tanya.

"Eren's late," Armin remarked worriedly. "Mikasa, weren't you, Tanya and Becquerel with him earlier?"

"No," the chibi-ravenette deadpanned.

**"Absol-sol-Ab,"** Becquerel replied.

**"Runt- snorunt!"** Tanya exclaimed.

"Could he still be sleeping?"

"Dunno."

The chibi-blond sweat-dropped at his friend's blunt and deadpanned replies and mood. "W-well, I thought one of you would wake him for sure-"

**"Sol-sol, Absol,"** Becquerel pointed out.

**"Runt-runt,"** Tanya added.

"I guess you two have good excuses," Armin conceded, "but what about you, Mikasa?"

"Me?"

Armin flinched and held up his hands in self-defence. "W-well, it's just because the two of you have such a strong relationship!"

"... of course," Mikasa said, her cheeks alight with a pink blush.

Becquerel and Tanya both chuckled at this while Rillo blinked, confused. **"Ta-rat-tatta?"**

Tanya shook her head with a giggle. **"Sno-sno-runt."**

"Of course!" Armin agreed, rubbing the back of his head. "You guys used to live together after all; you're practically siblings!"

_"... yeah,"_ the chibi-ravenette deadpanned, the blush gone and her eyes void.

"S-so I thought that I could leave Eren to you so you could wake him up," Armin explained further, his sweat-drop still in place.

_"I see."_

Becquerel shook his head at the chibi-blond. **"Sol-Ab-sol-sol..."**

Tanya shrugged haplessly but with a smile.** "Runt-sno-sno~"**

"Still, Eren is really late," Armin said in a worried tone.

"Bang!"

No sooner had the words left Armins' mouth had Eren smacked the door open and collapsed onto the floor, wheezing and huffing. "That was too close; I was almost late to class!"

"Took you long enough," Mikasa said in a flat tone as Becquerel trotted over to his partner. **"Sol-Absol."**

Eren gave a smile at seeing the Absol, even in spite of his burning chest and legs and everything. "Morning, Bec."

"What happened to you?" Armin asked.

Eren sweat-dropped at that. "Well...er-"

Then, he snapped, "Never mind that right now!" before turning to the ravenette. "Mikasa, why didn't you wake me up?!"

"Why are you only asking me?" she asked.

"Just answer!"

"... weird rumours would be spread if I were to be seen in the boy's dormitory," she finally replied, her cheeks pink again.

"Whaddya mean 'rumours'?!"

"Pipe down."

Becquerel sighed at his partner's stupidity. _Sol..._

"I thought you'd wake me up for sure today!" Eren cried out betrayed before he wiped at his eyes frantically.

"Eren, are you crying again?" Mikasa asked concerned.

"I'm not crying!" the chibi-brunet snapped, wiping away more furiously.

**"Ratta-Rata? Tata-rat!"** Rillo squeaked with an upset tone, trying to comfort the chibi-brunet.

"Eren, stop it!" Armin scolded. "She just didn't want people to find out that you two were dating!"

"We're not dating!" Eren exclaimed incredulously.

Mikasa flinched at that, upset at his response before heavy footsteps echoed outside and shook the ground. Then, the chibi-Colossal titan pulled the roof off the building.

"It's here!" the three friends cried out in horror while Becquerel, Tanya and Rillo all exclaimed in shock.

The next moment, Eren, Armin and Mikasa plummeted into the chibi-Colossal titan's belly after it swallowed them, landing in a mess of boiling hot red liquid.

"Ack! Were we just swallowed by that titan?!" Armin wailed, tears beading his eyes as he looked up where the chibi-Colossal titan's mouth kept opening and closing for some odd reason.

"Dammit!" Eren lamented. "If only I had prepared for this, I could have fought back!"

He turned to the chibi-blond and snapped accusingly, "This is all because you said those weird things!" before turning to Mikasa and asking, "Right?!"

"Dunno," the chibi-ravenette shrugged.

"First of all, this place is-_glub-glub-glub-_"

"Don't argue in a place like this..."

Just then, blinding sunlight flashed before them as the chibi-Colossal titans' torso had been opened up like a hinged trapdoor before Becquerel, Tanya and Rillo leaped inside and yanked their respective partners out of the mess. The chibi-Colossal titan crashed to the ground, it's eyes as xs.

"Bec!" Eren cried happily as he hugged the chibi-Absol, even though his body was bright red with comical burns.

**"... Sol," **Becquerel sighed.**  
**

An ecstatic Hange Zoe appeared out of nowhere with a shriek of delight as they scoured over the massive body, poor Moblit trying to keep his squad leader from hurting themselves.

"Ah, it's so beautiful~" Hange crooned, rubbing their cheek against the chibi-Colossal titan's cheek, the creature sweat-dropping even as it was laying in agony.

Tanya sighed. **"Snorunt-runt, Sno..."**

Mikasa nodded. "You said it."

* * *

_Day 2..._

* * *

"... min! Armin!"

Armin's eyes slowly opened up to see a worried Eren and Rillo hovering over by his side.

"Rillo, Eren, what was I...?" Armin mumbled as he sat up.

**"Tata!"** Rillo wailed as she jumped into the chibi blond' embrace, crying unabashedly. **"Rattata, Tata-rat!"**

Armin gently cuddled the little Rattata as she continued to wail. "There, there; it's okay, I'm okay."

"Thank goodness," Eren breathed a sigh of relief. "You passed out during the morning assembly."

Armin looked around to see that he was indeed in the infirmary before his expression sagged and tears pricked his eyes. "Dammit! Even though I said I wouldn't drag you all down-"

**"Tata-tarat! Rattata, tata, rat!"** Rillo cried, shaking her head. **"Tatta, rat-rat, Tat!"**

"Armin, are you ill or something?" Eren asked, cutting his friend off mid-rant.

The chibi-blond shook his head. "Instructor Shadis' speech was so long and boring, I accidentally dozed off."

Eren stared in disbelief. "You fell asleep?!"

Armin nodded before asking, "Eren, don't you think that there's nothing more pointless than a long-winded, meaningless speech?"

"Hey, don't say that in front of the instructor," Eren cautioned with a sweat-drop.

"I agree with Armin," Mikasa said as she arrived out of nowhere and startled the hell out of the chibi-brunet. "Why're you here, Mikasa?!"

"Because I was worried," she answered.

"Thank you, but I'm fine," Armin said to the chibi-ravenette.

"Not about you," Mikasa retorted. "I was worried about Eren."

"Er- okay..."

Eren stared at his fried with a sweat-drop, bewildered at her as he snapped, "I'm not even ill or anything!"

"I was worried if you would be able to stand through the entire speech," Mikasa replied.

**"Tat-ratta?! Rattata, Tatta, Rat-tat!"** Rillo squeaked indignantly as she gestured to Armin. **"Tat-tat, Ratta, rat!"**

"Just how weak do you think I am?!" Eren snapped before regaining some of his composure. "I'll just think of this as training to defeat the titans. I'm going back."

However, the chibi-brunet barely got a few feet forward before Mikasa punched his lights out. When he came to, Eren was lying in one of the infirmary beds with bandages wrapped around his forehead and Becquerel by his bedside.

"What happened-?!"

**"Sol-Absol, Absol,"** Becquerel replied, nodding over to Mikasa.

Eren stared incredulously before his head throbbed in pain. "My head- OW!"

"You must have hit it when you fell," Mikasa suggested.

"You're the one who hit me the first place!" the chibi-brunet snapped. "What the hell is up with you trying to play innocent?! And why did you evn do that in the first place?!"

Mikasa's eyes became void and her eyebrows twitched as she answered, "I don't want you going back to that hell."

"There's gotta be a better way of stopping me!" Eren protested before his eyes filled with tears and his lips trembled.

Mikasa's expression immediately became concerned as she asked, "Eren, are you crying?"

"I'm not crying!" Eren snapped as he furiously wiped at his eyes. "Wipe, wipe."

Becquerel gave Mikasa a stern look before gently nuzzling Eren, careful not to let his horn touch the human. **"Absol..."**

"Bec, you're the only one who truly cares about me!" the chibi-brunet wailed as he hugged the chibi-Absol to him.

Mikasa visibly glowered at Becquerel.

"Stop making such a racket," Armin chided them both. "I'm still recovering, you know."

"As if!" Eren snapped eyes still watery as he looked up from hugging Becquerel. "You're just playing hooky!"

**"Tatta-rat!"** Rillo snapped, hugging Armin close to her.

**"Sol-sol..."**

Just then, a beam of light came in the infirmary as the chibi-Colossal titan took the roof off the building. "Not again!" the three humans all cried out while Becquerel and Rillo exclaimed in shock.

A second later, the three friends plummeted into the chibi-Colossal titan's belly and landed in the red liquid mess.

"If only I was at 100%, I could have fought back!" Eren lamented before turning to the chibi-blond. "Armin! Think of a way to get us out! We can't always rely on our partners to rescue us!"

"I can't think of a plan on such short notice!" Armin protested.

"It's fine, so long as I'm with you, Eren," Mikasa said, her cheeks bright pink and not because she was sinking deeper into the red liquid.

"No it's not!"

Just then, the chibi-Colossal titan's torso opened up as if on a hinge and Becquerel and Rillo fished out Eren, Mikasa and Armin respectively before the chibi-Colossal titan crashed into the ground, it's eyes as xs.

"Bec!" Eren cried out gratefully, his body bright red from the burns. "I knew you'd come through for me!"

**"... Sol," **Becquerel gave a sigh.

Just then, Hange raced across the wreckage of the grounds and began to crawl across the chibi-Colossal titans' body, Moblit not far behind.

"Ah, we meet again~" they crooned, rubbing their cheek against the chibi-Colossal titan's cheek.

"Squad leader, be carefuuuuuuul!" Moblit wailed as he tried to follow them.

**"Ratta..."** Rillo said weakly.

"Yeah, I know," Armin replied, sweat-dropping.

* * *

Thus, the readers learn the difference between the side stories and the shenanigans.

Anyways, I checked on of the sequels of Ponies from Afar; I finished LionHearted and started in Honor for the Princess. Lots of stuff happened but the one thing that sticks in my mind that leaves me be both elated and flabbergasted is this:

The author has Levi and Petra engaged in the latter.

I am elated because that pairing is one of my favorites, be it as comrades, friends or partners. But I am flabbergasted because I simply cannot imagine _Levi_ proposing to _anyone_. Well, in the traditional sense at least. Literally the only way I see him proposing is that he and Petra going out on their business and when the two are alone, he just straight up asks, "Do you wanna get married?"

Yup.

The end of my final year in high school is approaching fast and it still hasn't truly sunk in that I'm graduating, even after I got my cap and gown. Another thing is that soon I'm going t have to turn in the device that I've been using to type, so it's possible that my up-dates will slow down in the near future. I ask you to bear with me.


End file.
